So often I think about something to write and then go on to do something else. Then, when I'm ready to write, the "mood" is not there; the Muse has left the room. So, today, when the thought of blogging came across my mind, I decided to just do it. No earth-shaking thoughts to record, I decided I had gone long enough without tending to this blog child.
It has been a while since I posted. I have kept up with my food plan, and with my weight loss. I have not weighed in two weeks, but I can tell I am still on track. The last time I weighed I had lost a total of 65 pounds. I was wearing a size 66 pants and now am loosely in a 62 and flirting with a still uncomfortable 60. I can no longer wear the clothes I was wearing in May. So that's all to the good!
During the rush to trade in clunkers for cash we went to Little Rock to check out the "Car Wars" at War Memorial Stadium. Linda's car, a 1990 Lumina, had developed transmission problems and she was afraid to drive it. So we went to see if we could get cash for it on a trade-in on something better. We went to a tent staffed by Crain Hundai and test drove an Elanta. Very nice. Bells and whistles galore. And available to us for $350 a month (way over our budget). So we looked at other cars, and then the salesman came over with the bad news...our Lumina did not qualify for the Cash for Clunkers program. It had originally been rated at 20 mpg which was the cut-off line for the program.
So we left, sorta disappointed, but happy we had not gone into debt for another $23000. Linda really wanted something used, not new. She also wanted it to get better mileage and wanted it to be red. Yep. Red. So I laughed when the salesman called the next day with a 2007 Ford Focus with 14,000 miles on it. It was red. And we ended up getting it. Even though it did not have "Drive" the Lumina had 1st, 2nd, overdrive and reverse. So I drove it to LR in OD and we traded it in.
Linda has been very happy with her new wheels, and is getting out and about on her own more than she has in a long time. This is, of course, a big help to her ego and to my spirits, too.
She also qualified for her Social Security disability status, so she will now have some monthly income of her own and can make her own car payment. All to the good.
Weight loss--I tend to overestimate how much I have lost, but I feel I am close to the 350 pound mark. I have applied to our insurance group for coverage for lap-band surgery. They will meet September 23rd to discuss my case (among others). IF they approve the coverage, then we will need to begin the process with the surgeon, find the money for the co-pay, and try to schedule around my various commitments so I am not having surgery during Christmas, NSN events, etc.
And speaking of NSN (National Storytelling Network), Linda and I are planning to attend the National Storytelling Festival the first weekend in October in Jonesborough, Tennessee. There is a 3-day NSN Board meeting following, so it will be a week away in the Smoky Mountains of Eastern Tennessee for us. We are looking forward to the trip, if not the expense of it. Linda and I both told at the Arkansas Storytelling Festival in Little Rock last month, and had fun doing it.
It is too bad that we will not have time to drive up to Boston to see our Laura, Kyle, and Abby who just passed the 9-month mark in her life. They keep us updated pretty well with photos, videos, and blogs. We are looking forward to seeing them again at Christmas!
When I started this I wasn't sure where it was going. If a trooper was following it I wouldn't have been surprised to have been pulled over for wandering all over the place. But I'm happy to have made this entry. I'll do more. It's good to have the Muse back in the building!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Friday, July 24, 2009
Motivation
Those of us who are tremendously overweight often cannot see ourselves as others do. For that matter, who does? I noticed when going through some old pictures that most of our photos are of other people...because I was the one taking the pictures. And when I wasin the picture, I was usually hidden behind someone else. It wasn't something I did intentionally, but points to a whole lot of similar behaviors that overwieght folks develop. I'm becoming aware of more of those as I lose weight.
It's as though some internal gate has opened through which previously unacceptable thoughts can now pass. One evening I was sitting watchig TV but was really just thinking about my weight and decided I needed a visual image. So I asked Linda to take a picture of me lounging back in my recliner. She took it with my phone, and now I carry it with me. It sorta keeps me honest because not only do I see a really fat guy, but I remember how it felt to try to get out of that chair. I was getting to the point where it actually took a lot of effort and time to get up from that chair.
Now I carry that picture with me...in my phone. I wanted to get it out and print it so I could see it in other places...but I don't seem to be able to email it from my phone...and don't have the special-to-this-phone USB cable to get it into the computer directly. But I have it. And see it in my brain.
In September I'll have Linda take another photo. It won't look thatdifferent, but...well, we'll see!
Thanks for the notes, folks! They really help!
It's as though some internal gate has opened through which previously unacceptable thoughts can now pass. One evening I was sitting watchig TV but was really just thinking about my weight and decided I needed a visual image. So I asked Linda to take a picture of me lounging back in my recliner. She took it with my phone, and now I carry it with me. It sorta keeps me honest because not only do I see a really fat guy, but I remember how it felt to try to get out of that chair. I was getting to the point where it actually took a lot of effort and time to get up from that chair.
Now I carry that picture with me...in my phone. I wanted to get it out and print it so I could see it in other places...but I don't seem to be able to email it from my phone...and don't have the special-to-this-phone USB cable to get it into the computer directly. But I have it. And see it in my brain.
In September I'll have Linda take another photo. It won't look thatdifferent, but...well, we'll see!
Thanks for the notes, folks! They really help!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Wake-up Call
Well, I was a little disappointed. We went to see Linda's diabetes specialist Monday. While she was being processed she was weighed. I saw my chance to prove how much I had lost and stepped onto the digital scales. 385. I was anticipating seeing something like 370. After all, my pants are falling off, shirts sliding around one me. People remark at how much weight I must have lost, how good I am looking. I guess I set myself up for a fall.
However. When I started really thinking about it, I HAVE lost 35 pounds. When you are morbidly obese (a term I still find difficult to use), 35 pounds doesn't seem like much. I needed a new reference point. So, while Linda was leading a group at the Women's Crisis Center Monday night, I went to Wal-Mart.
I actually did not buy anything. I'm trying to get over the shopping-therapy thing. I went to the back of the store to the dairy section and stood in front of the butter display. I placed a pound of butter (four sticks in a box) in my cart. then another. And another. And another. Until I had 35 pounds of butter in my cart. I should have taken a picture with the camera, but I have it in my mind now--what 35 pounds of fat looks like. That's not so bad, to have lost THAT much!
I resisted the temptation to start sticking boxes of butter under my belt. I was aware of the security cameras in the ceiling. So I put all the butter back where it was. As I left I felt a little lighter in my step.
I've lost 35 pounds by basically doing nothing except drinking the Low-carb Slim Fast and eating a salad and some meat each evening. I figure that now is the time to start adding in exercise like walking to help keep me in ketosis and burn up some more.
I go back to Dr. David September 1st. I'm going to try to lose another 15 pounds by then. I know, maybe I'll lose 5 instead, but I'm going for the 15. I'll blog about the journey.
By the way, thanks to those who have written with support or posted supportive comments on this blog page. You enter my thoughts MANY times EACH DAY! You are helping. THANKS!
However. When I started really thinking about it, I HAVE lost 35 pounds. When you are morbidly obese (a term I still find difficult to use), 35 pounds doesn't seem like much. I needed a new reference point. So, while Linda was leading a group at the Women's Crisis Center Monday night, I went to Wal-Mart.
I actually did not buy anything. I'm trying to get over the shopping-therapy thing. I went to the back of the store to the dairy section and stood in front of the butter display. I placed a pound of butter (four sticks in a box) in my cart. then another. And another. And another. Until I had 35 pounds of butter in my cart. I should have taken a picture with the camera, but I have it in my mind now--what 35 pounds of fat looks like. That's not so bad, to have lost THAT much!
I resisted the temptation to start sticking boxes of butter under my belt. I was aware of the security cameras in the ceiling. So I put all the butter back where it was. As I left I felt a little lighter in my step.
I've lost 35 pounds by basically doing nothing except drinking the Low-carb Slim Fast and eating a salad and some meat each evening. I figure that now is the time to start adding in exercise like walking to help keep me in ketosis and burn up some more.
I go back to Dr. David September 1st. I'm going to try to lose another 15 pounds by then. I know, maybe I'll lose 5 instead, but I'm going for the 15. I'll blog about the journey.
By the way, thanks to those who have written with support or posted supportive comments on this blog page. You enter my thoughts MANY times EACH DAY! You are helping. THANKS!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Fattoids
It takes 15 calories per day to maintain one pound of weight. So, if I eat 1500 calories per day for, say, a really long time, I would weigh 100 pounds. I would also probably be sick as a goose (an odd turn of phrase).
To maintain my weight at 420 pounds I had to keep eating 6300 calories per day more than I was using.
The unfair thing is that it really takes more than 15 calories to burn up a pound of weight. I have to expend (burn) 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat. And burning the fat isn't automatic. The body has some strange rules about where and how much fat is used up.
It's all very confusing.
Nonetheless I am content, for the moment, to leave all the math to the experts and just keep plugging away at my food plan. I really have only had two days when I was uncomfortably hungry or shaky. I've learned not to ignore those signals, and not to give in to them. I just deal with them.
Of almost 2000 lap-band surgeries one surgeon in Little Rock performed, 2 people died, which is about the national average for major surgery mortality. Hmmmm. I don't want to be so special that I qualify for that one percent!
Monday evening I went to the hospital while Linda was conducting her class at the Women's Crisis Center. I walked the halls looking for a digital scale sitting out somewhere where I could sneak up and weigh myself. No luck. So I still don't know how I am doing. I do know that my belts are not doing me much good now--I need to get new holes punched in them to get them tighter. I suspect punching holes is less expensive than buying new belts. Oh well. More later.
To maintain my weight at 420 pounds I had to keep eating 6300 calories per day more than I was using.
The unfair thing is that it really takes more than 15 calories to burn up a pound of weight. I have to expend (burn) 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat. And burning the fat isn't automatic. The body has some strange rules about where and how much fat is used up.
It's all very confusing.
Nonetheless I am content, for the moment, to leave all the math to the experts and just keep plugging away at my food plan. I really have only had two days when I was uncomfortably hungry or shaky. I've learned not to ignore those signals, and not to give in to them. I just deal with them.
Of almost 2000 lap-band surgeries one surgeon in Little Rock performed, 2 people died, which is about the national average for major surgery mortality. Hmmmm. I don't want to be so special that I qualify for that one percent!
Monday evening I went to the hospital while Linda was conducting her class at the Women's Crisis Center. I walked the halls looking for a digital scale sitting out somewhere where I could sneak up and weigh myself. No luck. So I still don't know how I am doing. I do know that my belts are not doing me much good now--I need to get new holes punched in them to get them tighter. I suspect punching holes is less expensive than buying new belts. Oh well. More later.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Downsizing
I haven't posted in a while. I have to be "in the zone" and have something to say. At least that's what I tell myself when I start to feel guilty about not posting. But after all, whose blog is it anyway? (;>)###
Over the past couple of months I have begun to come to terms with my weight. I reached my all-time high weight and began a program to loose the extra pounds. For me to blog about this is amazing to me. I usually keep all such thoughts to myself. But I found myself listening to what I preach, that it good to get all those hidden things out into the light. So here we go.
My all-time high was 420 pounds. I know. But that's what the digital scales said at Dr. David's clinic. During that same exam he told me I needed to have a form of bariatric surgery called "lap-band surgery" where the surgeon places an adjustable plastic band around the very upper part of the stomach to form a small pouch, and a small opening into the rest of the stomach. The procedure works because (1) you can't eat very much when your stomach is about the size of two chicken McNuggets; (2) the nerves that release the hormone that tells the brain that you are full are at the top of the stomach and are triggered by small amounts of food in the now very small stomach pouch. You don't want to eat more.
That sounded promising. Then we learned that the cost of such surgery is from $16,000 to $20,000 and that it is specifically excluded from our health insurance plan. We can't afford it, and can't qualify for a loan for it. All facts.
So we are currently applying to the Conference Insurance Committee to give us a waiver and cover the surgery. Statistics prove that it will save them money in the long term since weight loss helps other systems have less stress, fewer break-downs, etc. A rising tide lifts all boats. We'll see if they have the courage to extend the coverage. Ideally, they would provide coverage for all persons in our group who have a problem with morbid obesity.
During that same exam, the doctor looked at my legs which were swollen all the way through my feet. Little toes plumping out from swollen stobs. It was getting more and more difficult to walk. "Venus insufficiency" is what he called it. The gastric surgery would help relieve pressure on my veins so that fluid can return to the heart in good order instead of pooling up in my extremities.
The next week I went to a podiatrist with Linda to see about a rather ugly tonail of hers. While there I noticed the posters up in the exam room...you know, the slick, detailed cutaway drawings of parts of the body? There were even photos there--of legs and feet like mine. I had never thought of myself as a poster child for morbid obesity. So, when we were through, I made an appointment for myself with the good foot doctor. When I came back he examined me and said I needed to have bariatric surgery. (Hmmm...do I sense a concensus coming on?)
He also said he wanted to send me to the Wound Center at the local hospital complex to have my leg wrapped. So I went, and they did, and for a week I wore tight bandages on my right calf and foot. When they were removed, there was my foot...looking like a foot, with toes, ankle, everything! The measured, told me how much fluid had been removed, what size leg I should have, and told me I needed to wear compression stockings on both legs to preserve them. So I am. The podiatrist also prescribed diabetic shoes for both of us. They aren't cheap. But my custom-made shoes are the most comfortable shoes I have ever had. And with my feet now more normal in size, they are also more normal in function. I find it easier to walk, stand for longer periods of time.
All this weighed on my mind quite a bit. When people are overweight, and especially when we are morbidly obese, we tend to zone out much of the world around us. We are not only surrounded by our own pads of fat, we develop barriers to criticism, anything unpleasant. We learn to satiate any unhappiness with comfort foods. We develop habits of denial that will preserve our addiction. (Undoubtedly there is much to mine here for future sermons and self-awareness)!
I quit eating snacks. The next appointment, Dr. David's scale showed that I had lost 17 pounds! I was now 403, and I really hadn't tried very hard to lose those pounds. While the doctor was pleased with that, he was frustrated by our lack of resources to move toward the bariatric surgery. He compared the attitudes toward the morbidly obese in today's society with the discrimination practiced against racial groups. He actually went on a little rant about it. Almost as an afterthought he said, "Why don't you go to the store, buy some Low-carb Slim-Fast, and have four of them a day, with a salad at night." I asked him about meat. He told me I could have 4-8 oz of lean meat a day, but to go light on the red meat, which is marbled with fat.When he left he said, "I'll write a cloumn about you." Dr. David has a weekly column in the statewide newspaper.
A couple of weeks later, his column came out. Linda copied it and handed copies out to dozens of people. We are compiling information about the lap-band surgery to send to the Insurance Committee and hope for them to broaden their coverage allowances. In the meantime, we have our new shoes, I am wearing compression hose on both legs and feeling better. One day we were in Little Rock for a meeting. Afterward we dropped by Dr. David's clinic and weighed ourselves. My number was 389!
That was the lowest in years. I actually remember thinking about going out to eat to celebrate--a habit I'm trying to break. We associate celebrations with food--usually high-calorie foods. Gotta quit doing that!
We took a trip to Boston in June to visit Laura, Kyle, and Abby. I kept to the food plan there. Laura was super about providing the LCSF to drink and the daily salads. One night we went out for my birthday and had seafood...and I stayed on target. Another day we ate at the Cheescake Factory (ymmm) and I had a great big salad with a chicken breast. I stll lost weight.
In addition, I learned that having a grandchild makes a difference in life viewpoint. I think I had been feeling that mostly my life was over...children raised and on their own, church career heading toward retirement, everything pointing downhill. Now I find I want to be around to see how Abby does, grows. I am getting back in touch with my life, sensing new possibilities. It is very odd. But I like it.
We went to Annual Conference for four days. One of the things we used to do at Conference was to eat huge meals three times a day as we went out to restaurants.
This was different. With a fridge and microwave in our suite, we kept SF cold and heated what we needed hot. We ate salads when we went out. Basically, followed the plan, with one exception of a chineese seafood meal. I've learned that you can go out to eat--and stay ont he plan.
It has now been almost a month since I weighed. I know I have gone from a comfortable size 66 waist to a comfortable size 62 pair of slacks. People are commenting on my weight loss--being complimentary and encouraging. (This makes me realize that there must have been other kinds of thoughts about my former size that they left unsaid, or at least did not tell me).Many church folks are being supportive. So far my vital signs have all been good--good blood pressure, cholosterol levels, liver functions, etc. I am almost ready to begin an exercise/walking discipline. Since the church has an indoor walking track, I really have no excuse!
Through all this Linda has been very supportive. She's a very good advocate to have on your side! While she didn't sign on to be married to a morbidly obese person, she has had the fortitude, courage, and love to stay with me for nearly 38 years. She has seen the real me, no matter what size I am. (Sometimes, when I counsel young people who are having problems making their marriage work I want to say, "What part of 'For better or for worse, in sickness and in health' did you not understand?"). Linda has been a lifesaver for me in more ways than I can share. While she has had her own sets of problems in life (we all do), our maturing relationship has become more honest and fulfilling.
Linda makes great salads! While I can cut the stuff up and put it in a bowl, she makes it attractive in its presentation and is quite creative in the kinds of salads she produces. This keeps me from being bored to death with the same old food and from spending time yearning for the "comfort food" of the past. As I move into more weight loss and a new perception of who I am becoming, I will continue to rely on her and others for the emotional support that undergirds successful life changes.
So, this has been a long blog, catching you up on the weight-loss part of my life. I have more to say about other things. You might want to check back later for those.
Over the past couple of months I have begun to come to terms with my weight. I reached my all-time high weight and began a program to loose the extra pounds. For me to blog about this is amazing to me. I usually keep all such thoughts to myself. But I found myself listening to what I preach, that it good to get all those hidden things out into the light. So here we go.
My all-time high was 420 pounds. I know. But that's what the digital scales said at Dr. David's clinic. During that same exam he told me I needed to have a form of bariatric surgery called "lap-band surgery" where the surgeon places an adjustable plastic band around the very upper part of the stomach to form a small pouch, and a small opening into the rest of the stomach. The procedure works because (1) you can't eat very much when your stomach is about the size of two chicken McNuggets; (2) the nerves that release the hormone that tells the brain that you are full are at the top of the stomach and are triggered by small amounts of food in the now very small stomach pouch. You don't want to eat more.
That sounded promising. Then we learned that the cost of such surgery is from $16,000 to $20,000 and that it is specifically excluded from our health insurance plan. We can't afford it, and can't qualify for a loan for it. All facts.
So we are currently applying to the Conference Insurance Committee to give us a waiver and cover the surgery. Statistics prove that it will save them money in the long term since weight loss helps other systems have less stress, fewer break-downs, etc. A rising tide lifts all boats. We'll see if they have the courage to extend the coverage. Ideally, they would provide coverage for all persons in our group who have a problem with morbid obesity.
During that same exam, the doctor looked at my legs which were swollen all the way through my feet. Little toes plumping out from swollen stobs. It was getting more and more difficult to walk. "Venus insufficiency" is what he called it. The gastric surgery would help relieve pressure on my veins so that fluid can return to the heart in good order instead of pooling up in my extremities.
The next week I went to a podiatrist with Linda to see about a rather ugly tonail of hers. While there I noticed the posters up in the exam room...you know, the slick, detailed cutaway drawings of parts of the body? There were even photos there--of legs and feet like mine. I had never thought of myself as a poster child for morbid obesity. So, when we were through, I made an appointment for myself with the good foot doctor. When I came back he examined me and said I needed to have bariatric surgery. (Hmmm...do I sense a concensus coming on?)
He also said he wanted to send me to the Wound Center at the local hospital complex to have my leg wrapped. So I went, and they did, and for a week I wore tight bandages on my right calf and foot. When they were removed, there was my foot...looking like a foot, with toes, ankle, everything! The measured, told me how much fluid had been removed, what size leg I should have, and told me I needed to wear compression stockings on both legs to preserve them. So I am. The podiatrist also prescribed diabetic shoes for both of us. They aren't cheap. But my custom-made shoes are the most comfortable shoes I have ever had. And with my feet now more normal in size, they are also more normal in function. I find it easier to walk, stand for longer periods of time.
All this weighed on my mind quite a bit. When people are overweight, and especially when we are morbidly obese, we tend to zone out much of the world around us. We are not only surrounded by our own pads of fat, we develop barriers to criticism, anything unpleasant. We learn to satiate any unhappiness with comfort foods. We develop habits of denial that will preserve our addiction. (Undoubtedly there is much to mine here for future sermons and self-awareness)!
I quit eating snacks. The next appointment, Dr. David's scale showed that I had lost 17 pounds! I was now 403, and I really hadn't tried very hard to lose those pounds. While the doctor was pleased with that, he was frustrated by our lack of resources to move toward the bariatric surgery. He compared the attitudes toward the morbidly obese in today's society with the discrimination practiced against racial groups. He actually went on a little rant about it. Almost as an afterthought he said, "Why don't you go to the store, buy some Low-carb Slim-Fast, and have four of them a day, with a salad at night." I asked him about meat. He told me I could have 4-8 oz of lean meat a day, but to go light on the red meat, which is marbled with fat.When he left he said, "I'll write a cloumn about you." Dr. David has a weekly column in the statewide newspaper.
A couple of weeks later, his column came out. Linda copied it and handed copies out to dozens of people. We are compiling information about the lap-band surgery to send to the Insurance Committee and hope for them to broaden their coverage allowances. In the meantime, we have our new shoes, I am wearing compression hose on both legs and feeling better. One day we were in Little Rock for a meeting. Afterward we dropped by Dr. David's clinic and weighed ourselves. My number was 389!
That was the lowest in years. I actually remember thinking about going out to eat to celebrate--a habit I'm trying to break. We associate celebrations with food--usually high-calorie foods. Gotta quit doing that!
We took a trip to Boston in June to visit Laura, Kyle, and Abby. I kept to the food plan there. Laura was super about providing the LCSF to drink and the daily salads. One night we went out for my birthday and had seafood...and I stayed on target. Another day we ate at the Cheescake Factory (ymmm) and I had a great big salad with a chicken breast. I stll lost weight.
In addition, I learned that having a grandchild makes a difference in life viewpoint. I think I had been feeling that mostly my life was over...children raised and on their own, church career heading toward retirement, everything pointing downhill. Now I find I want to be around to see how Abby does, grows. I am getting back in touch with my life, sensing new possibilities. It is very odd. But I like it.
We went to Annual Conference for four days. One of the things we used to do at Conference was to eat huge meals three times a day as we went out to restaurants.
This was different. With a fridge and microwave in our suite, we kept SF cold and heated what we needed hot. We ate salads when we went out. Basically, followed the plan, with one exception of a chineese seafood meal. I've learned that you can go out to eat--and stay ont he plan.
It has now been almost a month since I weighed. I know I have gone from a comfortable size 66 waist to a comfortable size 62 pair of slacks. People are commenting on my weight loss--being complimentary and encouraging. (This makes me realize that there must have been other kinds of thoughts about my former size that they left unsaid, or at least did not tell me).Many church folks are being supportive. So far my vital signs have all been good--good blood pressure, cholosterol levels, liver functions, etc. I am almost ready to begin an exercise/walking discipline. Since the church has an indoor walking track, I really have no excuse!
Through all this Linda has been very supportive. She's a very good advocate to have on your side! While she didn't sign on to be married to a morbidly obese person, she has had the fortitude, courage, and love to stay with me for nearly 38 years. She has seen the real me, no matter what size I am. (Sometimes, when I counsel young people who are having problems making their marriage work I want to say, "What part of 'For better or for worse, in sickness and in health' did you not understand?"). Linda has been a lifesaver for me in more ways than I can share. While she has had her own sets of problems in life (we all do), our maturing relationship has become more honest and fulfilling.
Linda makes great salads! While I can cut the stuff up and put it in a bowl, she makes it attractive in its presentation and is quite creative in the kinds of salads she produces. This keeps me from being bored to death with the same old food and from spending time yearning for the "comfort food" of the past. As I move into more weight loss and a new perception of who I am becoming, I will continue to rely on her and others for the emotional support that undergirds successful life changes.
So, this has been a long blog, catching you up on the weight-loss part of my life. I have more to say about other things. You might want to check back later for those.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Friday, May 1, 2009
Bits and Pieces
I've been thinking about so many things. Too many things, actually. So I thought I'd clear the deck by addressing a few of these random thoughts here, getting them out of my mind and into yours.
On our recent trip to Eastern Tennessee we utilized the GPS feature in my new phone. I'd never used one of those before, and only seen one in use in a friend's very upscale SUV. I learned how to memorize a location, and to program a trip and destination in. On the way back we entered our home address and it called out every turn right on schedule. It even has a 3-D map display that moves as we move across the terrain. It shows side streets, names every overpass and exit, and can be programed to call out exits for gas at a selected price, special attractions, churches, food, motels, etc. Linda liked the display but didn't understand the workings of it. It also came with a female voice that after 1300 miles was a little wearing on the ears.
I was amused when we left the freeway for a food break and the GPS gal got concerned. But she guided us back to the interstate very effectively.
Thinking about flying to Boston in June, I wonder what she would do if we programmed the trip in for the road, then hopped in the plane. What would she do? Of course we can't do that. If I remember correctly, they ask you to turn off all cell phones upon boarding. But it was fun to think about.
Another item our trip brought out: we really don't pack well. (After all, we have the WHOLE van. Why should we pack conservatively)? When we go to Boston for 6 days, we will have to pack in one bag, carrying our CPAPs with us on board. And if Linda has her purse and I have a computer, well that's luggage limit for us! I guess we'll practice beforehand.
Michael sent word the other night that he was "OK" but did not elaborate. Laura posts every day or so and we keep up with her that way. Jennifer got a new job (with benefits) after so long without one, and seems to be very happy with the way it has started. Linda calls or emails each of our children daily. So I wonder why I feel so out of touch?
Been thinking about death a lot lately. Not in the mauldin, spooky, way. More in the philosophical, "What happens at the end of life as we know it?" sort of approach. Prodding my thinking in this area has been the blogging of my friend Becca Miles, whose mother passed away earlier this year. She has been blogging daily about it and the ways her family members have been dealing with that death. I don't think that I've come up with any new theories, but have been thinking about the subject more than usual. I realize we need to prepare for our own deaths, planning funeral details, last things, wills, etc. A number of those things are not yet decided and ought to be.
Things are changing for the better at the church. People are working together and trying to get along. The youth are planning a summer trip. A big fundraiser has taken on the life of its own. We are getting our communications back in order and are planning a new pictorial directory. We have had some membership growth. Now if we could just catch up financially!!!
We go to four doctors next Tuesday...the podiatrist at 8:30, the psychiatrist in LR at 11:15, our PCP at noon, and we go to the hospital for a second mamogram at 2:30 or so. I have hopes that everthing will be alright. We'll see.
I have enjoyed being around Linda a lot lately. We seem to have found a way of being together that is comfortable in a way that is both new and familiar. That's a good thought to leave on. I'm going to get to bed a little earlier tonight...see what Saturday holds when I wake up!
On our recent trip to Eastern Tennessee we utilized the GPS feature in my new phone. I'd never used one of those before, and only seen one in use in a friend's very upscale SUV. I learned how to memorize a location, and to program a trip and destination in. On the way back we entered our home address and it called out every turn right on schedule. It even has a 3-D map display that moves as we move across the terrain. It shows side streets, names every overpass and exit, and can be programed to call out exits for gas at a selected price, special attractions, churches, food, motels, etc. Linda liked the display but didn't understand the workings of it. It also came with a female voice that after 1300 miles was a little wearing on the ears.
I was amused when we left the freeway for a food break and the GPS gal got concerned. But she guided us back to the interstate very effectively.
Thinking about flying to Boston in June, I wonder what she would do if we programmed the trip in for the road, then hopped in the plane. What would she do? Of course we can't do that. If I remember correctly, they ask you to turn off all cell phones upon boarding. But it was fun to think about.
Another item our trip brought out: we really don't pack well. (After all, we have the WHOLE van. Why should we pack conservatively)? When we go to Boston for 6 days, we will have to pack in one bag, carrying our CPAPs with us on board. And if Linda has her purse and I have a computer, well that's luggage limit for us! I guess we'll practice beforehand.
Michael sent word the other night that he was "OK" but did not elaborate. Laura posts every day or so and we keep up with her that way. Jennifer got a new job (with benefits) after so long without one, and seems to be very happy with the way it has started. Linda calls or emails each of our children daily. So I wonder why I feel so out of touch?
Been thinking about death a lot lately. Not in the mauldin, spooky, way. More in the philosophical, "What happens at the end of life as we know it?" sort of approach. Prodding my thinking in this area has been the blogging of my friend Becca Miles, whose mother passed away earlier this year. She has been blogging daily about it and the ways her family members have been dealing with that death. I don't think that I've come up with any new theories, but have been thinking about the subject more than usual. I realize we need to prepare for our own deaths, planning funeral details, last things, wills, etc. A number of those things are not yet decided and ought to be.
Things are changing for the better at the church. People are working together and trying to get along. The youth are planning a summer trip. A big fundraiser has taken on the life of its own. We are getting our communications back in order and are planning a new pictorial directory. We have had some membership growth. Now if we could just catch up financially!!!
We go to four doctors next Tuesday...the podiatrist at 8:30, the psychiatrist in LR at 11:15, our PCP at noon, and we go to the hospital for a second mamogram at 2:30 or so. I have hopes that everthing will be alright. We'll see.
I have enjoyed being around Linda a lot lately. We seem to have found a way of being together that is comfortable in a way that is both new and familiar. That's a good thought to leave on. I'm going to get to bed a little earlier tonight...see what Saturday holds when I wake up!
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